Abstract

                                Cotton is one of the major commercial crops grown in the Ceded Districts. It occupies nearly a third of the area under cultivation specially in black cotton soil tracts. In recent years groundnut also is raised over extensive areas on account of the high prices. Generally the rainfall and the time of receipt of rains decide the crop (cotton or groundnut) that will be raised. The Westerns tract, comprises the black soil areas of Bellary, and Anantapur districts, and portions of Pattikonda taluk of Kurnool district and Pulivendla, Proddatur, Jammalamadugu taluks of Cuddapah district. The total area grown to cotton in this zone is about 6 lakhs of acres. During war time there was a slight fall in the area under cotton on account of the Grow More Food Campaign and also due to the restrictions placed on growing commercial crops. With the partition of India we fell short of cotton. To cover up the deficiency and meet the demand we had to divert more area to cotton and extension work assumed importance. Effective schemes had to be put into operation so that the country might produce sufficient cotton for its needs.

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